Housing for Pinball Switch

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides a mechanical housing configured to secure a switch to a pinball playfield.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/333,217 entitled “Housing for Pinball Switch,” filed on Apr. 21, 2022, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a mechanical housing used to secure a switch to a bottom of the pinball playfield.

BACKGROUND

Pinball machines include a variety of switches for various gameplay in the pinball playfield. Some of the existing switches have a single bracket that can allow the switch to be installed as a left-hand switch assembly or a right-hand switch assembly. Others have a dedicated bracket for the right-hand switch and a dedicated bracket for the left-hand switch. These existing switches are mounted to the bottom of a pinball playfield and the curved wire protrudes up thru a slot in the pinball playfield. When the ball rolls over the wire, the wire is pushed down, and the switch is actuated.

The wires in the prior art solutions are sometimes bent, sometimes the wire is not welded straight onto the blade, and sometimes the bracket is not aligned straight when it is assembled on the bottom of the playfield. All of these things create an issue with the wire not aligning straight through the slot and it rubs on the side of the slot. During the production of a pinball machine using these existing switches, there is a need for an assembly line worker to adjust every wire on every switch on the game to make sure they actuate properly and do not rub with the bottom of the playfield when in use.

Accordingly, an improved mechanical housing to secure the switch to a bottom of the pinball playfield may be desired.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure includes a mechanical housing configured to secure a switch to a pinball playfield. The switch could be any switch that has a body portion and a trigger portion, such as micro-switch with a bracket piece and a through playfield rollover wire form piece.

The present disclosure includes a mechanical housing for the switch that is versatile and can be used for either a right-hand switch assembly or a left-hand switch assembly. This allows manufacturers to replace the mounting brackets for switches that have a dedicated right-hand assembly and a dedicated left-hand assembly.

Further, the present disclosure includes a mechanical housing for the switch that is self-aligning for the trigger portion of the switch such that the mechanical housing keeps the trigger portion straight. Sometimes switches are mismanufactured with a bent trigger portion where the trigger portion is not welded straight onto the body portion of the switch. In other cases, during assembly, brackets might be misaligned when they are mounted on the bottom of a playfield. The disclosed mechanical housing would eliminate the problems created by these situations because the mechanical housing will register the trigger portion of the switch in a straight position during assembly.

In addition, the mechanical housing in this disclosure could be made of a transparent or translucent material that is non-opaque. By doing this, light from a light source can illuminate at least some of the mechanical housing that can be seen on the pinball playfield by a user at the pinball machine.

Thus, the present disclosure provides a mechanical housing configured to secure a switch to a pinball playfield includes a base portion having an upper face and a lower face. It further includes a first extending portion and a second extending portion. The first extending portion extends upward from the upper face of the base portion and includes an oblong slot configured to receive at least a portion of a trigger of the switch. The first portion is further configured to be positioned through an oblong through-hole in the pinball playfield. The second extending portion extends downward from the lower face of the base portion and is configured to receive at least a portion of a body of the switch.

These as well as other aspects, advantages, and alternatives, will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an example housing for a pinball switch.

FIG. 1B is a front view of the example housing for the pinball switch of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is a rear view of the example housing for the pinball switch of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1D is a top view of the example housing for the pinball switch of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1E is a bottom view of the example housing for the pinball switch of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an example device.

FIG. 2B is a partial perspective view of the example device of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A is a bottom view of an example system including an example housing for a pinball switch.

FIG. 3B is a top view of the example system of FIG. 3B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the Figures, FIGS. 1A-1E illustrate different perspectives of a mechanical housing 100 configured to secure a switch to a pinball playfield that includes a base portion 102 having an upper face 104 and a lower face 106. A first extending portion 108 extends upward from the upper face 104 of the base portion 102. The first extending portion 108 further comprises an oblong slot 110 configured to receive at least a portion of a trigger of the switch and is configured to be positioned through an oblong through-hole in the pinball playfield. A second extending portion 112 extends downward from the lower face 106 of the base portion 102. The second extending portion 112 is configured to receive at least a portion of a body of the switch.

In an example, the base portion 102 could further include an aperture 116 extending from the lower face 106 to the upper face 104. The aperture 116 could be configured to receive a mechanical fastener, such as a screw or a bolt. In some examples, the aperture 116 could be the only through-hole in the base portion 102. In other examples, other apertures could be present.

In some examples, the oblong slot 110 could have a first end with a radius of curvature between 0.005 inches and 0.05 inches and a second end with a radius of curvature between 0.005 inches and 0.05 inches. Also in some examples, the oblong slot 110 could have a width between 0.01 inches and 0.1 inches and a length between 1 inch and 3 inches. In differing examples, the oblong slot 110 could be various shapes, including rectangular-shaped or elliptical-shaped. In some examples, at least a section of the trigger of the switch could extend further upward than an upper end of the oblong slot 110 of the first extending portion 108. Also in some examples, the oblong slot 110 could center the trigger of the switch such that a center of the trigger of the switch is aligned with a center of the oblong slot 110.

In some examples, the second extending portion 112 could be configured to couple with the body of a switch such that the second extending portion 112 could hold the body of the switch in place. In these examples, the body of the switch could be removably coupled to the second extending portion 112.

In some examples, the second extending portion 112 could further include a first flange 114 a and a second flange 114 b. In such examples, the first flange 114 a and the second flange 114 b could hold the body of the switch between them such that the body of the switch is held in place. In such examples, the first flange 114 a could include a first arm 118 attached to the lower face 106 of base portion 102 by a plurality of support members 120. The first arm 118 could further include an opening 122 that is configured to receive the body of the switch. Similarly, in such examples, the second flange 114 b could include a second arm 124 attached to the lower face 106 of base portion 102 by a plurality of support members 126. The second arm 124 could further include two extendable buttons 128 that extend from the second arm 124 towards the first arm 118.

In an example, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, an assembly of a mechanical housing 200 configured to secure a switch 224 to a pinball playfield includes a base portion 202 having an upper face 204 and a lower face 206. A first extending portion 208 extends upward from the upper face 204 of the base portion 202. The first extending portion 208 further comprises an oblong slot 210 configured to receive at least a portion of a trigger 226 of the switch 224 and is configured to be positioned through an oblong through-hole in the pinball playfield. A second extending portion 212 extends downward from the lower face 206 of the base portion 202. The second extending portion 212 is configured to receive at least a portion of a body 228 of the switch 224.

In an example, the base portion 202 could further include at least one aperture 216 extending from the lower face 206 to the upper face 204. The at least one aperture 216 could be configured to receive a mechanical fastener, such as a screw or a bolt. In some examples, the at least one aperture 216 could be a singular through-hole in the base portion 202. In other examples, the at least one aperture 216 could include a plurality of through-holes in the base portion 202, such as shown in FIG. 2A.

In some examples, the oblong slot 210 could have a first end with a radius of curvature between 0.005 inches and 0.05 inches and a second end with a radius of curvature between 0.005 inches and 0.05 inches. Also in some examples, the oblong slot 210 could have a width between 0.01 inches and 0.1 inches and a length between 1 inch and 3 inches. In differing examples, the oblong slot 210 could be various shapes, including rectangular-shaped or elliptical-shaped. In some examples, at least a section of the trigger of the switch could extend further upward than an upper end of the oblong slot 210 of the first extending portion 208. Also in some examples, the oblong slot 210 could center the trigger 226 of the switch 224 such that a center of the trigger 226 of the switch 224 is aligned with a center of the oblong slot 210.

In some examples, the second extending portion 212 could be configured to couple with the body 228 of a switch 224 such that the second extending portion 212 could hold the body 228 of the switch 224 in place. In these examples, the body 228 of the switch 224 could be removably coupled to the second extending portion 212.

In some examples, the second extending portion 212 could further include a first flange 214 a and a second flange 214 b. In such examples, the first flange 214 a and the second flange 214 b could hold the body 228 of the switch 224 between them such that the body 228 of the switch 224 is held in place. In such examples, the first flange 214 a could include a first arm 218 attached to the lower face 206 of base portion 202 by a plurality of support members (not picturted). The first arm 218 could further include an opening (not pictured) that is configured to receive the body 228 of the switch 224. Similarly, in such examples, the second flange 214 b could include a second arm 220 attached to the lower face 106 of base portion 202 by a plurality of support members 222. The second arm 220 could further include two extendable buttons (not pictured) that extend from the second arm 220 towards the first arm 218. In such examples, the body 228 of switch 224 includes two rounded indents 230 such that each rounded indent is configured to receive an extended button of the two extended buttons (not pictured) of the second arm 220.

Switch 224 could be any switch that has a body portion and a trigger portion, such as micro-switch with a bracket piece and a through playfield rollover wire form piece. The wire form depicted in FIGS. 2A-2B is shown for exemplary purposes only, and the oblong slot 210 of the mechanical housing 200 is configured to receive a variety of wire form shapes.

In an example, as shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, an assembly of a mechanical housing 300 configured to secure a switch 312 to a pinball playfield 318 includes a base portion 302. Any embodiment of the mechanical assembly in FIGS. 1A-2B could be incorporated into the assembly represented by FIGS. 3A and 3B. A first extending portion 310 could extend upward from the base portion 302. The first extending portion 208 further comprises an oblong slot configured to receive at least a portion of a trigger 316 of the switch 312 and is configured to be positioned through an oblong through-hole 320 in the pinball playfield 318. A second extending portion 306 extends downward from the base portion 302. The second extending portion 306 is configured to receive at least a portion of a body 314 of the switch 312.

In an example, the base portion 302 could further include an aperture 304 extending through the base portion 302. The aperture 304 could be configured to receive a mechanical fastener, such as a screw or a bolt. In some examples, the aperture 304 could be the only through-hole in the base portion 302. In other examples, other apertures could be present.

In some examples, at least a section of the trigger 316 of the switch 312 could extend further upward than an upper end of the oblong slot of the first extending portion 310. Also in some examples, the oblong slot could center the trigger 316 of the switch 312 such that a center of the trigger 316 of the switch 312 is aligned with a center of the oblong slot.

In some examples, the second extending portion 306 could be configured to couple with the body 314 of a switch 312 such that the second extending portion 306 could hold the body 314 of the switch 312 in place. In these examples, the body 314 of the switch 312 could be removably coupled to the second extending portion 306.

In some examples, the second extending portion 306 could further include a first flange 308 a and a second flange 308 b. In such examples, the first flange 308 a and the second flange 308 b could hold the body 314 of the switch 312 between them such that the body of the switch is held in place.

In all embodiments represented in any of the FIGS. 1A-3B, the mechanical housing could be made out of a transparent or translucent material. This material could further be non-opaque. In such embodiments, the transparent or translucent material could allow light from a light source to illuminate at least a portion of the mechanical housing.

It should be understood that arrangements described herein are for purposes of example only. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other arrangements and other elements (e.g. machines, interfaces, functions, orders, and groupings of functions, etc.) can be used instead, and some elements may be omitted altogether according to the desired results. Further, many of the elements that are described are functional entities that may be implemented as discrete or distributed components or in conjunction with other components, in any suitable combination and location, or other structural elements described as independent structures may be combined.

While various aspects and examples have been disclosed herein, other aspects and examples will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and examples disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope being indicated by the following claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular examples only, and is not intended to be limiting.

Example methods and systems are described herein. It should be understood that the words “example,” “exemplary,” and “illustrative” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any example or feature described herein as being an “example,” being “exemplary,” or being “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other examples or features. The examples described herein are not meant to be limiting. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein.

Furthermore, the particular arrangements shown in the Figures should not be viewed as limiting. It should be understood that other examples may include more or less of each element shown in a given Figure. Further, some of the illustrated elements may be combined or omitted. Yet further, an example may include elements that are not illustrated in the Figures.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed concepts, which may be practiced without some or all of these particulars. In other instances, details of known devices and/or processes have been omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the disclosure. While some concepts will be described in conjunction with specific examples, it will be understood that these examples are not intended to be limiting.

As used herein, “coupled” means associated directly as well as indirectly. For example, a member A may be directly associated with a member B, or may be indirectly associated therewith, e.g., via another member C. It will be understood that not all relationships among the various disclosed elements are necessarily represented.

Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “first,” “second,” etc. are used herein merely as labels, and are not intended to impose ordinal, positional, or hierarchical requirements on the items to which these terms refer. Moreover, reference to, e.g., a “second” item does not require or preclude the existence of, e.g., a “first” or lower-numbered item, and/or, e.g., a “third” or higher-numbered item.

Reference herein to “one embodiment” or “one example” means that one or more feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one implementation. The phrases “one embodiment” or “one example” in various places in the specification may or may not be referring to the same example.

As used herein, a system, apparatus, structure, article, element, component, or hardware “configured to” perform a specified function is indeed capable of performing the specified function without any alteration, rather than merely having potential to perform the specified function after further modification. In other words, the system, apparatus, structure, article, element, component, or hardware “configured to” perform a specified function is specifically selected, created, implemented, utilized, programmed, and/or designed for the purpose of performing the specified function. As used herein, “configured to” denotes existing characteristics of a system, apparatus, structure, article, element, component, or hardware which enable the system, apparatus, structure, article, element, component, or hardware to perform the specified function without further modification. For purposes of this disclosure, a system, apparatus, structure, article, element, component, or hardware described as being “configured to” perform a particular function may additionally or alternatively be described as being “adapted to” and/or as being “operative to” perform that function.

The limitations of the following claims are not written in means-plus-function format and are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), unless and until such claim limitations expressly use the phrase “means for” followed by a statement of function void of further structure.

By the term “about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” with reference to amounts or measurement values described herein, it is meant that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but that deviations or variations, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations and other factors known to those of skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect the characteristic was intended to provide. For example, in one embodiment, the term “about” can refer to ±5% of a given value.

Illustrative, non-exhaustive examples, which may or may not be claimed, of the subject matter according the present disclosure are provided below. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A mechanical housing configured to secure a switch to a pinball playfield, the mechanical housing comprising: a base portion having an upper face and a lower face; a first extending portion, wherein the first extending portion extends upward from the upper face of the base portion, wherein the first extending portion comprises an oblong slot configured to receive at least a portion of a trigger of the switch, and wherein at least a portion of the first extending portion is configured to be positioned through an oblong through-hole in the pinball playfield; and a second extending portion, wherein the second extending portion extends downward from the lower face of the base portion, and wherein the second extending portion is configured to receive at least a portion of a body of the switch.
 2. The mechanical housing of claim 1, wherein the base portion further comprises an aperture extending from the lower face to the upper face such that the aperture is configured to receive a mechanical fastener.
 3. The mechanical housing of claim 2, wherein the aperture is the only through-hole in the base portion.
 4. The mechanical housing of claim 1, wherein a first end of the oblong slot has a radius of curvature between 0.005 inches and 0.05 inches, and wherein a second end of the oblong slot has a radius of curvature between 0.005 inches and 0.05 inches.
 5. The mechanical housing of claim 1, wherein the oblong slot is rectangular in shape.
 6. The mechanical housing of claim 1, wherein the oblong slot is elliptical in shape.
 7. The mechanical housing of claim 1, wherein at least a section of the trigger of the switch extends further upward than an upper end of the oblong slot of the first extending portion.
 8. The mechanical housing of claim 7, wherein the oblong slot of the first extending portion centers the trigger of the switch such that a center of the trigger of the switch is aligned with a center of the oblong slot.
 9. The mechanical housing of claim 1, wherein the second extending portion is configured to couple with the body of the switch such that the second extending portion holds the body of the switch in place.
 10. The mechanical housing of claim 9, wherein the body of the switch is removably coupled to the second extending portion.
 11. The mechanical housing of claim 9, wherein the second extending portion further comprises a first flange and a second flange.
 12. The mechanical housing of claim 11, wherein the first flange comprises a plurality of support members and a first arm, wherein the first arm comprises an opening configured to receive the body of the switch.
 13. The mechanical housing of claim 12, wherein the second flange comprises a plurality of support members and a second arm, wherein the second arm comprises two extended buttons extending from the second arm towards the first arm.
 14. The mechanical housing of claim 13, wherein the body of the switch comprises two rounded indents such that each rounded indent is configured to receive an extended button of the two extended buttons of the second arm.
 15. The mechanical housing of claim 1, wherein the mechanical housing is made out of a transparent or translucent material.
 16. The mechanical housing of claim 15, wherein the mechanical housing is non-opaque.
 17. The mechanical housing of claim 15, wherein the transparent or translucent material allows light from a light source to illuminate at least a portion of the mechanical housing. 